AFC aims to reinforce regional fashion

RITIKA SHARMA / Emirates Business

Riding high on success of Arab Fashion Week, the Arab Fashion Council (AFC) is now gearing up to churn out fashion big-wigs from the region. In a bid to encourage students to consider higher education in the field, AFC has joined hands with Dubai Ladies Club and announced new scholarship programme for 2017, in which students from 22 Arab countries will complete to win a full scholarship
in ‘Masters of Fashion Design’ at Domus Academy in Milan.
The announcement was made during a workshop conducted by HE Cav Mario Boselli, Former President of National Chamber of Italian Fashion and Honorary President of Arab Fashion Council, Jacob Abrian, CEO Arab
Fashion Council, Leen Demeester, Author of Fashion Icons and Damiano Antonazzo from DOMUS Academy.
HE Cav Mario Boselli, Former President of National Chamber of Italian Fashion and Honorary President of AFC said, “The ‘Masters of Fashion Design’ is an integrated approach between cultural, design, production, marketing and communication aspects through a dialogue with experts from the fashion industry. This programme will not only develop the talented designers’ skills but will also enable them to express their creativity and meet the new challenges coming from the Fashion world. The Programme also aims to offer the participants an overall development and will give them the chance to do an intra-curricular internship.”
Emphasising importance of education, the Arab Fashion Council has undertaken this unique initiative which is supported by the UNESCO Doha Office who consider the scholarship a contribution to promote cultural diversity and lend support to the creative industry, which is in line with the activities of UNESCO office in Doha. Ilham Abbas, Chief Strategy Officer of the council told Emirates Business, “We as Arab fashion Council believe that the future of the Arab fashion industry is in the younger generation. If our youngsters are equipped and determined enough to take the industry to unparalleled heights, nothing can stop us from growing. This scholarship is one of our steps towards empowereing youth in the industry.”
Last year, a student from Saudi Arabia was awarded a full scholarship programme at
the DOMUS Academy where he is currently pursuing his career in Fashion Management and is then expected to join the Arab
Fashion Council.